Pierella

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Pierella

Pierella hecate

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
(unranked)	Rhopalocera
Superfamily:	Papilionoidea
Family:	Nymphalidae
Subfamily:	Satyrinae
Tribe:	Haeterini
Genus:	Pierella Westwood, 1851

Type species

Papilio nereis
Drury, 1782

Species

About 15 species, see text.

Pierella is a butterfly genus from the subfamily Satyrinae in the family Nymphalidae found from Mexico through Central America to South America. The species of Pierella have larger hind-wings than fore, unique among butterflies. The oval green flash on the forewing is also unique. It is caused by diffraction, the wing scales forming a diffraction grating.

Larvae have been found on Heliconia and Calathea host plants.

[edit] Selected species

Pierella amalia
Pierella astyoche
Pierella helvina
Pierella hortona
Pierella hyalinus
Pierella hyceta
Pierella lamia
Pierella lena
Pierella lucia
Pierella luna
Pierella nereis

[edit] Species list

Note: Names preceded by an equal sign ( = ) are synonyms. ORIG indicates original name. Source: Nymphalidae Study Group website

Pierella Westwood, 1851 ( = Pieris Hübner, [1819]; = Antirrhaea Westwood, 1851)
- Pierella amalia Weymer, 1885 ( = Pierella lena ab. leucospila Staudinger, 1887)
- Pierella astyoche (Erichson, [1849])
  - Pierella astyoche astyoche (Erichson, [1849]) original name Hetaera [sic] astyoche Erichson, [1849] ( = Haetera larymna Doubleday, [1849])
  - Pierella astyoche bernhardina Bryk, 1953 ( = nom. nud. Pierella astyoche f. obscura W. Zikán & Wygodzinsky, 1948)
  - Pierella astyoche stollei Ribeiro, 1931
- Pierella helvina (Hewitson, 1859)
  - Pierella helvina helvina (Hewitson, 1859) original name Haetera helvina Hewitson, 1859
  - Pierella helvina hymettia Staudinger, [1886] ( = Pierella incanescens werneri Hering & Hopp, 1925)
  - Pierella helvina incanescens Godman & Salvin, 1877 ( = Pierella incanescens costaricana Niepelt, 1927)
  - Pierella helvina ocreata Salvin & Godman, 1868 ( = nom. nud. Pierella ocreata Butler, 1868)
  - Pierella helvina pacifica Niepelt, 1924 ( = Pierello [sic] ocreata johnsoni Talbot, 1932)
- Pierella hortona (Hewitson, 1854)
  - Pierella hortona hortona (Hewitson, 1854) original name Haetera hortona Hewitson, 1854 ( = Haetera hortensia C. Felder & R. Felder, 1862; = Pierella hortona f. albopunctata F.M. Brown, 1948; = Pierella hortona f. ocellata Smart, 1975)
  - Pierella hortona albofasciata Rosenberg & Talbot, 1914 ( = Pierella albofaciata [sic] decepta F.M. Brown, 1948)
- Pierella hyalinus (Gmelin, [1790])
  - Pierella hyalinus hyalinus (Gmelin, [1790]) original name Papilio hyalinus Gmelin, [1790] ( = Pieris dracontis Hübner, [1819]; = Pierella hyalinus fusimaculata F.M. Brown, 1948)
  - Pierella hyalinus extincta Weymer, 1910
  - Pierella hyalinus schmidti Constantino, 1995
  - Pierella hyalinus velezi Constantino, 1995
- Pierella hyceta (Hewitson, 1859)
  - Pierella hyceta hyceta (Hewitson, 1859) original name Haetera hyceta Hewitson, 1859
  - Pierella hyceta ceryce (Hewitson, 1874) original name Haetera ceryce Hewitson, 1874
  - Pierella hyceta latona (C. Felder & R. Felder, 1867) original name Haetera latona C. Felder & R. Felder, 1867
- Pierella lamia (Sulzer, 1776)
  - Pierella lamia lamia (Sulzer, 1776) original name Papilio lamia Sulzer, 1776 ( = Papilio rhea Fabricius, 1775; = Papilio dyndimene Cramer, 1779; = Pierella luna ab. albina Oberthür, 1896; = Pierella lamia f. fabriciana Ebert, 1965)
  - Pierella lamia boliviana F.M. Brown, 1948
  - Pierella lamia chalybaea Godman, 1905 ( = Haetera lamia f. columbina E. Krüger, 1925)
- Pierella lena (Linnaeus, 1767)
  - Pierella lena lena (Linnaeus, 1767) original name Papilio lena Linnaeus, 1767 ( = Papilio sectator (Meerburgh, 1775))
  - Pierella lena brasiliensis (C. Felder & R. Felder, 1862) original name Haetera brasiliensis C. Felder & R. Felder, 1862 ( = Pierella lena glaucolena Weymer, 1910; = nom.nud. Pierella lena f. melanosa W. Zikán & Wygodzinsky, 1948; = Pierella lena f. obsoleta F.M. Brown, 1948; = Pierella lena browni Forster, 1964)
- Pierella lucia Weymer, 1885 ( = Pierella astyoche var. albomaculata Staudinger, 1887)
- Pierella luna (Fabricius, 1793)
  - Pierella luna luna (Fabricius, 1793) original name Papilio luna Fabricius, 1793 ( = Pierella luna f. rubra F.M. Brown, 1948)
  - Pierella luna lesbia Staudinger, 1887
  - Pierella luna pallida (Salvin & Godman, 1868) original name Hetaera [sic] pallida Salvin & Godman, 1868
  - Pierella luna rubecula Salvin & Godman, 1868 ( = Haetera heracles Boisduval, 1870)
- Pierella nereis (Drury, 1782) original name Papilio nereis Drury, 1782